Derbyshire residents encouraged to be vigilant against bogus websites
Residents heading online to buy electrical goods and domestic appliances are encouraged to be on the lookout for bogus websites.
The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) has received reports of scammers setting up bogus websites advertising non-existent electrical goods at discounted prices.
When the buyer inputs their bank details to purchase the item, they will receive an email stating that the payment had failed and that they must then pay for the goods via bank transfer.
The fraudsters are often highly persuasive and reassure the buyer that it is a legitimate purchase by using the widely recognised Trusted Shop Trustmark. However, the trademark has also been used fraudulently and has not been certified by Trusted Shops.
The buyer has then unfortunately handed over their bank details to pay for non-existent goods and it not protected by the Trusted Shop money-back guarantee.
Following the alert, detectives are encouraging residents to be extra vigilant when purchasing goods online by taking some simple yet effective security steps. Advice includes:
- Check the authenticity of the websites before making any purchases. Conduct a ‘who is’ search on the website which will identify when the website has been created. Be wary of newly formed domains. You can conduct this search using the following website - https://who.is/;
- Carry out online research in relation to the website, company name and the business address provided to identify any poor feedback or possible irregularities;
- Check the Trusted Shops Facebook page where warnings about websites using their Trustmark are published. If you are in doubt about the legitimacy of a Trustmark then you can contact Trusted Shops on 0203 364 5906 or by email service@trustedshops.co.uk. They will confirm whether they have certified that website;
- Payments made via bank transfer are not protected should you not received the item. Therefore always try to make the payment via PayPal or a credit card where you have some payment cover should you not receive your product;
- Trust your instinct and always remember, if the item advertised seems too good to be true, it probably is.
For information around frauds and scams visit the dedicated Stamp out Fraud in Derbyshire webpage at www.derbyshire.police.uk/stampoutfraud.
If you think that you have been a victim of this type of fraud, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit the website at: www.actionfraud.police.uk.
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